No year for veto tricks

Saturday

Feb 10, 2018 at 3:00 PM

The Rhode Island General Assembly has been moving slower than a tortoise on Nyquil when it comes to putting a line-item veto on the ballot.

For decades, it has ignored the public’s pleas for a reform that already benefits 44 other states. Under intense pressure last year, the Assembly managed to postpone meaningful action yet again, by creating a commission — overloaded with legislators — to look into the matter. Well over six months later, the panel finally met for a few minutes the other day.

On the surface, at least, support for the reform is growing.

During her State of the State address, Gov. Gina Raimondo called on the legislature to put the line-item veto on the ballot this November, and “let the voters decide” whether they want it. Perhaps fearing that voters might be watching, members warmly applauded.

“Forty-four others states, including Massachusetts, already have it, and they use it to eliminate waste and give taxpayers confidence in their government. Rhode Islanders deserve the same thing,” Ms. Raimondo said.

After that, every last one of the 37 state senators signed on as a cosponsor of the governor’s bill for a strong line-item veto.

It is not hard to understand why the senators would be so eager to go on record in an election year. The line-item veto is wildly popular. A survey of 400 registered voters in September 2016 by Common Cause Rhode Island found that voters overall supported it 66 to 25 percent. Other polls have shown nearly three-quarters of Rhode Island voters favor the reform.

The House seems to be the problem. Only 17 of 75 House members have come out in favor. It is a safe bet that Speaker Nicholas Mattiello does not want to see the governor gaining any ground against him.

Such a fear seems exaggerated to us. A strong line-item veto would leave the speaker the most powerful political figure in the state, by virtue of his role in passing a state budget. It would simply permit the governor to strike out a particular line from the budget, without having to veto the entire budget. This would provide a check against legislators slipping in special-interest legislation or poorly-vetted measures at the last minute.

Any measure should provide for a super-majority override by the legislature, as a check on the governor abusing this power. But the veto would throw a spotlight on what is going on.

The danger now is that the Senate’s showy sponsorship and the panel’s convening may all be an elaborate ruse. The committee might conceivably recommend against a veto late in the session. Or, perhaps worse, it might produce a severely watered-down measure.

In short, the legislative leaders might see this committee as an opportunity to play the public for suckers. There would be nothing new there. Unfortunately, cynical legislative maneuvers in the past have done grave damage to Rhode Island by spreading vast distrust through the populace about their government.

Even so, a dirty trick on the line-item veto would be an act of folly this election year. The public is watching. Legislative leaders can expect to be called out if they betray their constituents.

The long game of delay must end. It's time to put a strong line-item veto on this year's ballot.

More from the Editorial Board: The Insiders

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